Eurovision and Doctor Who return to screens. School’s back in session at Abbott Elementary, while a long overdue heart-to-heart is happening in Walford.
Spacey Unmasked
Monday
Channel 4, 9.00pm
The first instalment of a two-part documentary following Kevin Spacey’s sexual misconduct allegations. Hearing from multiple men from across the actor’s life – many speaking for the first time – the show charts both his rise to fame and fall from grace.
Central to the documentary are the legal proceedings brought against the House of Cards star. In 2022, the actor was found not liable in a sexual abuse trial in New York. Last year, Spacey was acquitted in London of sexually assaulting four men between 2004 and 2013. Accusations remain in the air, however, as this documentary shows in forensic detail.
EastEnders
Tuesday
BBC One, 7.30pm
This week, EastEnders is shining a spotlight on Yolande (Angela Wynter) and Patrick (Rudolph Walker), in a special two-hander episode.
Patrick will discover that his partner was sexually assaulted by Pastor Clayton (Howard Saddler), finally allowing Yolande to break her silence.
“This conversation is the most difficult that Yolande and Patrick will ever have, and an episode dedicated to them gives us a chance to tell this story truthfully and authentically,” said executive producer Chris Clenshaw in a BBC press release. “I’m in awe of the performances Angela and Rudolph have given.”
Abbott Elementary
Wednesday
Disney+
The beloved mockumentary sitcom returns to put cameras in front of Philadelphia’s most exasperated teachers for a third series.
Quinta Brunson (Saturday Night Live) creates and stars in the show as Janine Teagues, a second-grade teacher determined to make a difference. School budgets, apathetic colleagues and Janine’s own naivete stand in her way, but eventually she finds her footing.
Series two explored more of the characters’ personal lives, and the minefield that is the American education system. This time round, principal Ava Coleman (Janelle James) shows no sign of getting any less authoritarian. Thankfully, Janine seems up to the challenge.
Eurovision
Tuesday-Saturday
BBC One
The greatest party in the world is coming to your front room.
The Eurovision semi-finals are on Tuesday and Thursday, culminating with the final on Saturday (all at 8.00pm). Olly Alexander (It’s A Sin) is poised to represent Britain with ‘Dizzy’.
Among the presenting team for the BBC are Rylan Clark (The X Factor), Scott Mills and – of course – Graham Norton (The Graham Norton Show). Can Olly put on a show in Malmö, Sweden that propels the UK to victory? And will Graham be able to go five seconds without saying something snippy?
Doctor Who
Saturday
BBC One, 6.20pm
Last Christmas, sci-fi fans got their first taste of Ncuti Gatwa (Sex Education) and Millie Gibson (Coronation Street) together as the Doctor and companion Ruby Sunday. Now, after a long wait, the two explode back onto screens for a full-series outing.
Expect dinosaurs, Beatlemania, regency costumes and evil drag queens, as Doctor Who stretches its legs in the direction of fantasy. Change isn’t always popular with the show’s fandom, but who can resist Gatwa calling someone a cad?
